UK's 5G Hopes Get a Shot in the Arm From New EU / South Korean Partnership

While the rest of the world was enjoying super-fast mobile download speeds thanks to a timely 4G roll-out, UK smartphone and tablet users were left for a long time twiddling their thumbs, trying to stream Come Dine With Me on the back of the bus on snail-speed 3G connections. But, thanks to a new incentive by the EU, the UK (and the rest of Europe) won't be left behind in the race for 5G speeds.

The EU has partnered with South Korea to share research and technologies relating to the development of the next-gen mobile broadband standard. South Korea aims to get a commercial 5G network in place by 2020, and the two territories will work together to ensure that radio spectrums are compatible ahead of any proposed 5G roll-out. The development of infrastructural support for the Internet of Things will also be a major part of the partnership -- any 5G network will be instrumental in keeping each web-connected module ticking over. [Europa]